The Southbound cruise from Kirkenes to Bergen was absolutely fantastic! This was our first cruise experience and Hurtigruten ticked all the boxes. We participated in many of the excursions available on the way down the majestic west Norwegian coastline. The onboard Expedition Team presented engaging and informative preludes to each day’s activities and a special thanks to Asluk who was an excellent storyteller (speaking English, Norwegian and German). We would thoroughly recommend this cruise for anyone doing Cruising 101 and the more seasoned traveller. Hurtgruten have been doing these Norwegian Coastal cruises for a long time and their organisational management for all passengers was exemplary. Ongoing information by the crew as we travelled South was appreciated and the celebration when we traversed the Arctic Circle was great, albeit somewhat moving after taking the Codliver Oil. The off vessel excursions offered during the voyage were all very enjoyable, professionally managed and easily done. We joined six off vessel excursions of which the midnight concert in the Artic Cathedral was the standout. The food onboard was excellent providing large buffet breakfast and lunch and 3-course sit down dinner in the evening. A lot of great seafood, but only what you would expect and hope for in Norway. Read Less

Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage (Bergen>Kirkenes>Bergen) 30 July – 10 August MS Midnatsol Overall a very good but also memorable trip – however, it was memorable for the wrong reason. Malfunction/break down of machinery/equipment on ships impacts adversely, to a greater or lesser extent, on passengers. The ship operating company, in this case, Hurtigruten, can be judged by how they deal with such situations. The voyage of MS Midnatsol was due to arrive in Bergen on 10 August. On the penultimate evening there was an electricity failure affecting the cabins and air conditioning which, we were told an hour or so later, had been repaired. On the morning of the final day we found we were docked at Alesund and were informed that the onward cruise to Bergen (our final destination) was cancelled. One would have thought Hurtigruten, as a long and very experienced operator, would handle the situation quickly and efficiently. In reality, it was a nightmare. There was a complete lack of information as to how passengers would be taken to Bergen. We were repeatedly told by the staff that they were waiting for Hurtigruten HQ to inform them of solutions. If there was a leader handling the case on the ship, it was not evident. The Captain was neither seen nor heard at any time. The staff were evasive, disorganized and, sometimes, offhand in handling passenger queries. It was not until the late afternoon of the final day we were informed that coaches, departing at different times, would take us to Bergen. A meeting was convened with all passengers concerned to give details of this. The meeting descended into chaos, as the staff responsible created confusion and even panic situations as they disseminated the information on the coach departures. Throughout the day, the staff repeatedly said they worked very hard to get passengers to Bergen – I have no reason to doubt that – but it was the amateurish way the whole matter was dealt with by Hurtigruten and their staff that made a bad situation worse. We are not aware of an official apology being made for the inconvenience caused. Eventually, more by luck and persistence on our part rather than by good management on the part of Hurtigruten, we boarded a coach which departed at 17.45 for the journey from Alesund to Bergen with each passenger given a bag containing a sandwich, an apple and a bottle of water. After dropping passengers off at a number of hotels in central Bergen we eventually reached the airport at approx. 03.30, too late to check into the airport hotel we had booked, as we had to check in for our early morning flight at 04.00. A great pity that what was otherwise a very good holiday was soured by this traumatic experience on the final day. Read Less

We were booked on this ship by our Fjord Tours’ “Norway in the Nutshell “ package. So we didn’t really have a choice on the ship or more importantly, the cabin types and size. We were a family of 4 and we got 2 non-adjacent cabins. So our children’s cabin are away from ours. How the hell does that happen? To make it worse, the cabins were disgusting. They were so small, I think I have seen prison cells on TV that are bigger and nicer. The A/C was non-functional, so it was so hot inside. The beds were tiny and separate. And the window was rather small, so you can forget about enjoying the fjords or whatever. Also, get ready to be transported to 1990s, where you have to pay for WiFi. After all the marketing from Hurtigruten that this is the best cruise trip in the world, they make you pay for WiFi. This is year 2019 - who the hell pays for WiFi. Even the lady at the reception agreed that this was such a ridiculous fee to charge. Breakfast service are also unfortunately borderline inedible. They didn’t have omelette station or made to order service, so we tried the scrambled eggs and they were weird tasting and had a very dark yellow color to it. Everything else was just average. Lastly, we thought the service from a few staff members were very questionable. They were a bit rude and condescending to us. Especially the 2 older white ladies who seemed to treat other white people much differently than us non-whites. Read Less

The parts of the Norwegian Hurtigruten adventure consept function well together: Beautiful nature, local culture and food, lot of points of interest along the Norwegian coastline, interesting lectures and expeditions, solid service with a smile, thorough cleaning and safe hygiene. Our expectations were more than met. The cruise of the Norwegian Hurtigruten along the Norwegian coastline from the historic city Bergen on the West Coast to the city of Kirkenes at the Russian border is unique in reality and variety: The well known Norwegian long, deep, narrow fjords with steep mountains and waterfalls, historic places with traces several thousand years back. The Coastal Cruiseline Hurtigruten makes the best possible use of the unique local nature and culture: Great variety of local dishes made from food delivered from chosen producers along the long coastline, a lot of culture and nature expeditions in by foot, rib boat, cayak and bus - in partnership with local entrepreneurs, interesting lectures on relevant topics. Read Less

We decided to travel with the Hurtigruten because we have heard how the coastal journey was an amazing experience, and it definitely exceeded our expectations! From amazing service to beautiful scenery, this is the perfect way to enjoy the beauty of Norway. I’ve travelled Norway by railway before, but sailing really allows you to see so much more! Highly recommended for those looking to rest and unwind and admire the beautiful scenery. The food spread was good too, and the seafood were relatively fresh. Excursions were pricey, but would recommend going for the Geirangerfjord tour during summer, and the North Cape as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the excursions, and appreciated how there was also lectures onboard the cruise. I chose a Polar Inside cabin, which was small but clean and cosy. Do note that when you travel during summer, the weather can get really cold, so it’s importang to have a windbreaker! Definitely traveling with the Hurtigruten on my next cruise. Read Less

Formidable crew and itinary, so beautiful things seen in a week. We appreciated especially the diversity of different harbours visited. The fact of using tender boats in certain harbours was an appreciated experience. The first stop was in Heligoland and it enabled us to see from less than a meter some sea birds such like Gannets (Fous de Bassan) it was it was incredible. We also appreciated the values of Hurtigruten as a company : it puts security and Nature at the center of everything and we felt quite involved. The fact of giving some red vests and reusable bottles at the beginning of the cruise was also a very good surprise and we will keep them as a useful souvenir. Only point on our side is the price of proposed excursion, but visiting cities by ourselves was allready quite fine. It was the first cruise for us but for sure not the last with Hurtigruten Read Less

They focus on nature and making a difference. I don't like cities on water. I don't like nightclubs and casinos. I like focus on nature, stillness, away from the city. Of the beaten track. Hurtigruten offers this. I like to leave a small carbon footprint when travelling. I enjoy travelling with older people or retired people. They make for better conversation. The group on this trip was smaller and it made the ship less crowded. The shore activities were great but quite costly. Dining was good with a good buffet and menu in the evenings. The ship does not include wifi and I did not know this beforehand. It cost NOK 1600 for wifi throughout the cruise. It was an unforeseen cost. There should be more clarity on that . I also prefer an all inclusive full board which should include tips etc. No surprises. I loved the entertainment. It was heartfelt and interesting Read Less

To visit Antarctica and see penguins in their natural habitat. We saw all this and more... Several species of penguin, whales, seals, various seabirds; majestic landscapes of snow-covered mountains and icebergs from small to one that was over 1km long. From arriving at the ship the service was excellent. The crew in all departments are fantastic. Checking in, being fitted for the rubber boots needed for landing, receiving a jacket and re-usable water bottle - which were ours to keep at the end of the cruise. Daily sheets posted the night before giving all the details you needed about what time your landings or cruising would be, the timings of other activities such as the lectures. The variety and interest of these were excellent. There were regular updates and time reminders over the tannoy system. We were very fortunate with the weather, the Drake Passage was pretty calm in both directions and we had sunshine and relatively mild temperatures and could fully appreciate the beauty and splendour of this remarkable place. All landings and cruisings were included, these were well-organised and managed efficiently and with our safety in mind. There were some optional activities available such as, kayaking, snowshoeing and a night under canvas Amundsen-style. These, as with all the outdoor activities, were weather and sea ice dependent. There were extra excursions available pre- and post- cruise. This cruise ran over Christmas and New Year and there was charming entertainment provided by several of the guests as well as the crew, every evening the resident entertainer sang and played the piano in the bar. Please note: this is not a "holiday" cruise, so people shouldn't go thinking there'll be partying and lots of entertainment. This is an Adventure. The joy was going out on deck at sunrise, sunset and throughout the day and taking in the wonder of this majestic place. Sitting with your travel companions and other passengers and marvelling at what we'd been so fortunate to see that day. The ship was kept clean and tidy in all areas, quite a challenge with the kit that we had to wear. The dining choices were excellent at all meals, hot beverages and drinking water were available at any hour from the beverage stations. Hot tea and drinking water was set up for us to have when we came in from the landings and cruisings - perfect to warm and rehydrate. Many thanks to the whole crew of MS Midnatsol and my fellow passengers. This cruise not only met but exceeded ten-fold all hopes and expectations. If I could I would definitely go to Antarctica again, and certainly travel with Hurtigruten. Read Less

Wanted a smaller and affordable trip to Antarctica. It was important to be able to hike on the islands and mainland continent and to go on zodiac rides to see wildlife and icebergs! We took can from airpory, easy to do, We met up with staff at hotel in Buenos Aires to get flight information to Ushuaia, early breakfast and bus ride to airport, thank goodness there was Hurtigruten staff guiding us though airport. Flying into Terre del Fuego was beautiful! So glad we had some time in Ushuaia, it is a really quaint place, worth taking a stroll around. We settled into our interior room easily, nothing fancy but clean, neat, and all we needed cause we planned on being outside as much as possible! Rubber boots, parkas, water bottles distributed, by group we were divided into! Easy to follow instructions! The scenery was amazing, crossing The Drake was fairly calm and we had a lot of sunny days and only one day where we just weathered out a storm! We had zodiac landings 5 different places and zodiac cruising also. We were on land usually 1 1/2 hrs at a time. The crew would go first and mark a trail and flag areas that we needed to avoid. They provided hiking poles and we trekked to penguin rookeries! Every landing was fun, penguins, skuas, the scenery was breathing minute by minute! This is what we were here to experience! Polar Plunge at Deception Island! They provided towels and put you on next zodiac for the boat! This is a must do experience! Captain and crew did a great job, keeping us safe in a bad weather day and ensuring we put our feet on mainland Antarctica! Expedition team great! we didn't do any kayaking or snowshoe excursions! Our room steward Clarence, took great care of us, dining room staff was great. Food was good and a different variety, enjoyed trying new dishes. You won't see the variety or quantity that is on larger ships but it was good. Lots of fish and more lamb dishes than I'm used to. The best dessert was a fruit crumble! I had read some reviews and was very pleased with The Midnastol, she is lovely, light and bright! Lots of public areas to sit and watch scenery. Coffee, teas and snacks always available! Great walking deck, we spent a lot of time out here!! Disembark was also easy. We got the early flight back to Buenos Aires since we had a 9 on flight home and took a cab to the international airport, we had plenty of time. It was everything I wanted it to be with a cherry on top! Absolutely amazing journey, unforgettable trip of a lifetime. Read Less

Great trip to Antartica. Lots of landings, and during travel lots of lectures to fill time. All the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable and went above and beyond to be helpful and make sure everyone's needs were met! The food was excellent, mostly buffet style with a few seated dinners. Although there were few vegetarian options. This is not a "normal" cruise. No pool (although a "polar" hot tub and indoor sauna and small fitness room) or bingo nights, people were there to see Antartica and learn about Antartica. Due to the weather in Antartica, the excursions and landings can be unpredictable and the schedule changes a lot, but the crew worked really hard to make sure that we did some incredible things and saw lots of penguins and other wildlife. The cabin was tiny, but there was so much to see that I didn't want to spend a lot of time in there anyway. Read Less

Finally I got to meet penguins!! The ultimate cruise experience have to be withHurtigruten to Antarctica. MS Midnatsol is a cozy small ship that really fits in this area. All the staff onboard are very service minded and the Explorer team are just fantastic! Even the ship is getting a bit old, the atmosphere is great. Excellent food and service. Even the passengers are from all over the world, you can feel the Norwegian spirit. Most of the shore excursions are included, but if you want to do something extra, you can go kayaking and overnight tenting. I do recommend both! Before the cruise, you can stay in Buenos Aires for one or more nights. It is a beautiful city. Then you fly to Ushuaia.It takes 3,5 hours down from Buenes Aires. After cruising all over the world with different cruiseliners, I will say this is so far no 1 cruise!! Thank you MS Midnatsol and Hurtigruten! Read Less

Having already done a Hurtigruten Norway expedition hiking cruise (and loved it) I didn't hesitate to travel with Hurtigruten again when it came to going to Antarctica. I knew they would offer a more authentic experience, which is what I wanted. From start to finish it was an awesome voyage. It began with a one-night stay in Buenos Aires in a very well and centrally located hotel. Then the next morning we flew to Ushuaia - known as the southernmost city in the world. The transfers from the hotel to the airport were smooth and in Ushuaia we were given an included free tour and then had free time before we boarded the ship, which I really enjoyed/appreciated. Midnatsol was much smarter than the ship I sailed on in Norway. Although Midnatsol is an expedition ship, it has an atrium with an elevator like the bigger liners - the Hurtigruten ship I sailed on in Norway wasn't comparable. My cabin was fine - it was a polar outside for two people. It was perfectly comfortable/functional - it is NOT posh - The first two days were spent at sea, crossing the infamous Drake Passage - the sea which separates south America from Antarctica. I'm not going to lie. There's a reason this sea is infamous. It can get choppy. Items were literally flying off the shelves onto me as I lay in bed! So if you suffer from sea sickness be sure to take with pills/bands etc - although there were pills available (and very effective too) to buy on board, and they were inexpensive too. But the expedition lectures were a great distraction and extremely enriching. I learned so much - about wildlife, geology, explorers, penguins, climate change, whales/whaling etc. Fascinating. And then as we got closer to Antarctica there were albatrosses and whales to spot from on deck - and even the occasional penguin - just awesome. During those two days everyone gets some boots to wear outside in Antarctica (compulsory as they clean them once you get back so that no germs are being taken onto the 7th continent) and picks up a red expedition jacket you get to keep - I really liked mine. You can see me wearing it in the video links below. It's waterproof and windproof and I wore my other jacket undernearth it. There are only 6 days where you actually get out on land and regulations dictate that only 100 people are allowed on land at a time, which means you have to take turns (the ship carries 500 passengers) and you're only on land for about 2 hours at a time. But then you can enjoy the scenery from on the ship - the two hot tubs on top deck are a great vantage point! And also you might be on land in the morning and then cruising in the zodiac boats (which are small inflatable crafts used to take you from Midnatsol to land) around icebergs for the afternoon. I must mention that itineraries are loose and weather dependent. The expedition team always has a plan A and if the weather (wind and ice are the biggest culprits) prevent that from happeneing they move onto plan B and so on.... This is where we stopped/ what we saw on our sailing: Day 1: Deception Island - a volcanic island - great hikes, a couple of penguins, remnants of old whaling station - scene for attempting the polar plunge challenge - Day 2: Cuverville Island - home to penguin colonies (Gentoo penguins) - just amazing. I the afternoon we went zodiac cruising around amazing icebergs. And ethere were lots of whales Day 3: Ice floe landing (this is a flat iceberg which we got out onto to walk on whilst it was drifting) Day 4. Damoy Point - excellent hikes - great penguins - some people went snow shoeing (an optional excursion)...views over Port Lockroy, home to the British post office which is open for 3 months a year. Day 5. Orne Harbour on the mainland - an awesome (and tricky) hike to the summit brought us to a Chinstrap penguin colony Day 6 - kayaking (this was an optional excursion) in Wilhelmina Bay - and it was amazing - paddling past icebergs, underneath glaciers and oars whacking into floating lumps of ice. Plus we passed a shipwreck of an old whaling ship. We also did some amazing cruising throught the Lemaire Channel and Neumayer channel - both stunning with huge cliffs. And we sailed the most far south the ship has ever sailed to a huge ice sheet which stopped us in our tracks. The light was amazing every day in Antarctica and even in November there really wasn't any proper night time. Food on Midnatsol was also excellent. It's mainly buffets due to the itinerary, but with a couple of waiter-served three-course dinners. Because they can't pick up supplies en route, the food does, naturally, become a little repetitive, but the chef was extremely inventive and I have no complaints whatsoever. Some people went camping for the night on the continent. This was also an expensive optional extra and whilst I didn't do it (it cost $500) I was jealous afterwards of those who did. They camped under canvass in a remote spot (the ship left them there) and with lots of penguins and no civilsation around them. They didn't sleep (it was too cold apparently!) but what an experience - something to say you've done. There was also some entertainement on board - a few shows - a crew talent show / a crew fashion show/a quiz and some screeenings of films about Shackleton and some David Attenbourough nature documentaries. the crew was amazing too. I don't have a bad word to say. After the voyage we flew from Ushuaia to Santiago, Chile for an overnight in another very nice, well-located hotel.... It's a long journey to get to Antarctica, but it was well broken up and helped build the anticipation. Read Less

Vantage Adventures booked it for me as a part on an Antarctica adventure. I have always wanted to see Antarctica and I didn't know anything about the Midnatsol before booking with Vantage. I looked the ship up on the internet and downloaded the ship's passenger manual, which was very helpful in packing and planning my trip. The crew on the Midnatsol was attentive and did everything they could to make our adventure a wonderful experience. They familiarize themselves with the adventurers and attempted to meet all of our individual preferences in our cabins, the dining rooms, and the bars. The guides learned the adventurer's strengths and weaknesses and catered to our individual needs. We had 348 Adventurers on board and only 100 could be onshore at one time. They did a spectacular job of traffic control. Everyone got the shore time that they wanted, including the campers and swimmers. Excellent job Midnatsol! Our Vantage Adventures guide, Valerie Martin, from Buenos Aires, provided additional services to the 37 Vantage Advrnturers which enhanced our experience even more and personalized our experience because of her 16 previous trips to Antarctica! Read Less

This is a science cruise not a booze or casino cruise. The ship is well equipped for Southern Ocean sailing. Cabins are good and food excellent. The science crew offer landings, lectures and science experiments. Catering and hotel staff excellent. It is strenuous. Don't go if you are not mobile and can't get in and out of ribs. There are no landing stages; your stepping onto ice, or sliding over the side of the ribs. It can be cold so take several layers. Drakes passage can be rough. If you suffer from severe seasickness, think twice about this trip. BUT, it is amazing and unforgettable.. Get a good camera with v. fast shutter speed. Listen to the photographers on board; go to the lecture. The whole trip went very smoothly. The company are moving about 500 people for embarkation so be patient; it all works. I travelled alone but met a whole bunch of friends and we shared experiences and drinks together. I wouldn't go again. Not because it wasn't fantastic. I'd be afraid at being disappointed Read Less

Going to Antarctica was top on our bucket list so we were expecting great things. The itinerary was excellent and the ship's crew were concerned at all times for our safety, which was excellent. The itinerary was good and we were excited to meet the penguins. At embarkation we should have had our medical forms taken off us as we checked in, however this was not done but we were asked to deliver them to a different place the same day. However, we did as requested but the ship mislaid our forms. Having told us that they hadn't received them on the first sea day, and we told them that we had handed them in as requested we heard nothing until the ship was about to sail from Stanley to Antarctica a number of days later when it was insisted upon that we had a medical from the ship's doctor. We were given no apology. The ship itself is comfortable with plenty of pleasant spaces to sit and read or just take in the sites. The cabins are rather compact and the beds not as comfortable as we hoped. The evening dinners were too fancy, no one would go on this trip for the food but would expect good wholesome food. Some of the meat was uneatable. The expedition team were excellent with exceptional knowledge especially in giving their lectures and were always available to answer any questions passengers may have had. The ports of call were good and the shore excursions on the whole were good, but some were very expensive for what you received. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the interesting ports of call and the possible excursion options (and prior experience with Hurtigruten). After our arrival in Lisbon, we did a private half day tour of the city prior to arriving at the ship - a very nice city to explore Embarkation went very smoothly and we were in time for dinner. Watch the lights of Lisbon fade away as we departed 20:00. The ocean was very calm for our entire voyage and we had lovely weather. The ship is small and intimate and we had a very small number of fellow passengers - which made it quite a pleasant journey. The cabins are small and functional and fully satisfied our needs - but if you are used to large ship cruising, you might be disappointed. The breakfast and lunch buffets provided a lovely selection of foods both European and North American and the dinners were well planned with an overall theme each night and how each item on the menu fit into the theme. Because of the lovely weather and low numbers, the dining staff planned several BBQ buffets up on deck 9 (instead of formal dinners) which were enjoyable. Dining staff were fantastic. The crew talent evening was a lot of fun! Once again this ship does not have all of the elaborate entertainment options of the larger ships, but there is music and talent shows. We really enjoy their activities/lectures - the expedition team always provides great information about the surrounding area and important historical information. Port lectures actually provide real information about the history and interesting sites of each port - instead of the ridiculous port lectures on other lines which are only an advertisement for a series of stores/shops. Despite some issues, the shore excursions were great - going to some fascinating historical locations along with knowledgeable guides. Two of the ports, the ship had arranged shuttle services into town - which was very nice - particularly in Portimão where the shuttle did a loop between the town and the beach at Praia da Rocha. Disembarkation also ran smoothly despite having ship problems that grounded us at Portimão instead of back in Lisbon. The bus ride from Portimão to the Lisbon airport went very smoothly. Looking forward to my next trip with Hurtigruten - hoping to do either Antarctica or the Arctic! Read Less

We departed Bergen on August 23, 2018 and returned Sept. 3, 2018. My sister and I went together on this trip, and it was wonderful! The service and food were first class and the ship itself is lovely - the artwork is terrific, the lounges are beautifully decorated, and the staff bent over backwards to accommodate our wishes. We had an Arctic Superior cabin on the 7th deck, which worked out fine for going up to the 8th deck for information and lectures, or down to 5 for the dining room. Other people have complained of lines for the dining room, but we had no trouble in that regard. We got off the ship often, and took several excursions. I was born in Norway, and enjoyed the chance to speak Norwegian with the staff and other travelers. We had pretty good weather and never even had to use our cold weather gear. Overall, it was a wonderful experience! I would take it again - my only complaint was that we did not see any whales or dolphins! Read Less

Came on board to accompany a friend and to see the beautiful landscape of Norway. Get ready for many non smiling passengers. The staff can be found doing multiple job assignments. Your room can be attended to by the wait staff. I was happy that our server was attentive to special dietary restrictions. Most speak English fairly well and one guide spoke 6 languages. He seemed like the most kindhearted individual. Turned off by a hostess who felt like she needed to admonish an infraction in dining policy. Needs training in customer service. What was a fairly pleasant boring but beautiful cruise was tainted by her caustic approach in addressing us. Best thing on the ship was the salmon. If your looking to be entertained, this is not for you. The weather was cold and rained a lot. Darken the windows when sleeping since it was light for 23 hours. Bring warm clothes and a good water repellent jacket. Dress is very casual. Water is a premium. Need to bring water from restaurant if you want it in your cabin. Coffee is only served in morning at breakfast, but available on deck 8 with purchase or package. Ice is a commodity. Had to get my own ice daily for my water from the bar. Norway is not cheap. Everything is expensive. Cashed in US dollars for Krones at reception and was shorted each time. Asked if there was a fee and replied no, but get ready to pay a hidden rate(not the true exchange rate at time). There is a laundry facility available, but clothes take a long time to dry. Can’t beat the remarkable views traveling by water. Salmon the best, staff mostly helpful. Passengers- depressing. Sorry Norway, land of my ancestors. You need to lighten up. Read Less

Have always wanted to experience Antarctica, but hesitated due to the cost. However, when we found Hurtigruten, we decided to go for it. We were able to book an expedition suite cabin for about the same price as a standard cabin on other ships, and found it to be excellent value. The service on the ship was exceptional, especially the expedition crew. It was a very friendly atmosphere on the ship, and we really felt as though we were part of the "family". We felt safe every step of the way. The crew was very good at adjusting to the severe weather conditions to give us the best possible Antarctic experience possible. The days at sea were quite rough because of the small size of the ship, and we experienced a hurricane in the Drake Passage, but at no time did we feel at risk. Would highly recommend this trip if it's on your bucket list. Read Less

Road Scholar. The ship and crew were always very accommodating. The food was probably my biggest concern. I’m not a picky eater but found the dinners not very enjoyable. I tried everything to be a good sport. Everything looked good but some entres were not very good. What I found odd was that we ran out of Chilean wine on the first day even though we departed from a Chilean port. There was always plenty of food. The excursion to learn about the geology of the Falklands was too short and we learned all there was to learn at the introduction class. The drivers of the 4 wheelers were fun and informative. The penguins, the cafe, and the museum store was wonderful. We ate lunch at a local crafted beer restaurant that was really good. Also we sat with some locals and that was informative too. We also enjoyed the kayaking excursion. The kids were delightful and made sure we were very safe and that we had a good time. On our day, the ship was our support boat, meaning they came to us to pick us up. The ship was a overly warm. We got to go to the bridge and that was fun and informative. A highlight was enjoying hurricane winds and seas returning to South America. Quite an experience. I always felt safe and was never afraid. Lastly, the clinic could use some improvement. I needed my eye checked. The problem was the equipment needs new batteries or new eye equipment. Not really worth the visit. Overall I had a terrific trip of a lifetime. Thank you. Read Less

I have only positives to report on this wonderful cruise. The ship, itinerary, crew, expedition team, food, and other passengers all exceeded my expectations. If I could turn around and do it again immediately, I would. Hurtigruten arranged my flights. I arrived in Santiago for an included hotel night. My paid airport transfer and hotel check-in were easy. The hotel (Santiago Sheraton) was comfortable and I enjoyed a nice meal. Early morning buses to the airport and flights to Punta Arenas were uneventful. We were given a tour around parts of Punta Arenas and then transferred to the Midnatsol. I had read that this can be chaotic, but it was entirely smooth and fast. Because of deteriorating weather, we weren't able to do Zodiac touring in the Chilean fjords. Instead we made our way to Antarctica, where the weather was fantastic. The Drake Passage was nauseating (there where hurricane force winds), but I was able to see wandering albatrosses following the ship, so I was content. Excursions and other scheduling were described the night before, always with weather caveats. A typical day included a Zodiac wet landing (Hurtigruten supplies muck boots) at either a natural area or near a small base. Snowshoeing and kayaking excursions were available for a fee, as were a kayak certification course and a photography course. Lectures, port talks, and relevant movies were on offer. On other days we cruised in the ship and had Zodiac cruises. A bridge tour was available one day. Food was good, particularly the buffets. Gluten-free and vegetarian options were available or could be arranged. Drinks were somewhat expensive but not out of the range of a US restaurant. Cookies and soup were available from 3-5 PM every day. Everyone on staff was pleasant and helpful. The expedition staff were outstanding and offered both citizen science opportunities (species and nest observations ashore) and peeks through microscopes and at other materials they were sampling. The bird watching was terrific! I saw my 4 most-wanted birds for the trip: wandering albatross, Andean condor, chinstrap penguins, and Adelie penguins, plus many more. We were able to land at Cape Horn, a definite plus. Weather again precluded Zodiac cruising in the fjords. Transfer to the airport in Punta Arenas was efficient. Because of a power failure in Atlanta, a number of us had to shift flights or wait until the next day out of Santiago. I stayed at the Santiago Hilton Garden Inn, which was fine as a hotel/restaurant but located in a pretty crummy area. If I were to do it again, I'd stay at the Holiday Inn on the airport grounds. This isn't a good cruise for someone who wants magicians, room service, or a spa. It's calm and somewhat minimalist compared to the options on a larger ship. On the other hand, there's something to be said for sipping a coffee in a hot tub in a light snow while drifting past icebergs speckled with penguins. Read Less

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The Antartic region should be on everyone's bucket list. It is an awesome region to visit and the Midnapsol is certainly well equipped to handle the weather and the landings very effectively. The food on board was of excellent quality but with little daily variety, and the a la catre restaurant was worth the extra cost.The Philippino crew were very efficient and exceedlingly friendly, making it a very happy ship and happy cruise for all. The ship is in need of renovation again. Carpets in public areas near and on stairs were dirty and worn in some locations, and many of the bar chairs had also seen better days. The alcoholic drinks were very expensive and even by limiting my consumption and avoiding premium wines and spirits, my bar bill worked out at more than 30 pounds sterling each day. The Dazzler hotel in Montevideo where we stayed pre-cruise was very substandard and best avoided. The worst thing was the inexcusable mistake made by the Purser's Office in giving the Chilean immigration authorities the wrong passport number, so that the Immigration arrival form issued to me was invalid and which would have precluded my departure from Chile. I spend 16 unnecessarily stressful hours and a totally sleepless night worrying about whether this mistake could be corrected. Finally, the next morning I was issued on our arrival in Punta Arenas with a correct immigration arrival form by the Purser's Office with no apology! A great relief to me, but this sheer imcompetence on the Purser's part left a very sour note in my mouth in relation to the whole cruise experience. I still await Hurtiguten's apology and recompence for this dreadful error on their part.. Despite the above, I certainly do not regret taking the cruise and would recommend a visit to the Antartic region wholehearted to anyone with a spirit of adventure and exploration. Read Less

I knew this was first cruise of the season, but it was marketed to me as limited to 300-350 people. That made sense for an expedition cruise to Antarctica. Limitations on numbers of people on land at any time creates logistical issues. Add to that the early season, and it made sense to have a limitation. Unfortunately, Hurtigruten booked over 400 people on the ship. Made it into a shakedown cruise - too many people to fit in the auditorium; too many people to land efficiently; too many people who didn't fully understand the nature of landings in Antarctica. Items on schedule that then appeared to be a surprise as someone had to scramble to get them going. All expedition staff unavailable during landing days, because every single one was needed to try and get the landings and cruisings done. No one seemed to understand the logistics of moving so many people (particularly so many elderly people) on and off the ship on the zodiacs. It was simple math to figure out that the stated departure time would not sync with the landings and cruisings. Schedules when both a landing and a cruise were available sometimes ruled out lunch for certain groups. With two dinner seatings, there didn't seem to be any attempt to check on people's preferences. I actually wrote on my passenger info form (sent out very late, with an email that I had not returned -couldn't return a form that was never sent to me) that I wanted early seating, but was assigned to late (was able to change). Some tables were assigned to people to sit alone (???), others had one single man, one single women - not traveling together (???), but when it was asked it we could broadcast a meeting in the bar area for single travelers to meet each other (not for hooking up, but to simply meet others traveling on their own), was told not appropriate. A shake down cruise is the best description I can provide. Off ship excursions are substantially overpriced. If you are traveling with a group, suggest you try to book directly or accept that Hurtigruten will be charging at least double the actual cost. Read Less

we boarded in Kirkenes and ended up in Bergen [total of 33 stops] there was not time to get off at each & every one [normal] and @ some, the time in port was limited this is a working ship that moves passengers & cargo up & down the coast lovely interior that seems to have been redone recently smallish cabins [like river cruises] good food [buffet breakfasts & lunch] and mostly sit down [set menu] dinners interesting to go from north to south [ending in Bergen] there is no entertainment on board shore excursions seem a waste [personal] as with river cruises-great time to relax & enjoy the scenery, fjords, and people great way to see how people live in the small towns in the islands would recommend this to anyone who has not done it, or is looking for more about Norway we had a good time-try it Read Less